Figuring Out Life One Day At A Time

June 9, 2011June 9, 2011

You’ve Got Mail

Bonnie, over at Faith Barista says…. “It’s the month of classic June weddings. A reader who is single asked me how I met my husband. She said it always encourages her to hear the different ways God leads people to find true love.

In the spirit of encouragement, I’d love to hear from our community. Write on the topic: Finding “The One”. ”

Life was normal on that day, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to tell me of what lay ahead…

I sat down at my computer, to check my email. I saw a response from an online dating service I had signed up for. (which I had done on a whim) Before even signing up I had decided that I was not going to date anyone unless they lived within an hour of my house. I mean, what was the sense, otherwise?

Then HE left me a message.

He lived in Texas, in a town outside of Dallas. He had one adult daughter whom he had adopted, and two children still at home. He was also widowed. (about his late wife)

He wanted to know me. This kind of made me feel like I was 17 all over again. “Wait, just a minute”, I thought, “I am 37. I am mature. I am a mom. I am not going to get excited about an email. So there.” At least that is what I told myself.

I wasn’t so sure about this. After all this guy lived in TEXAS for cryin’ out loud…and I lived in Tennessee. The two “T” states, but other than that, not close enough. I waited to reply. I thought about it. I finally decided that we could at least be friends. We could both relate to widowhood, (there was a mutual understanding between us, in a way that is difficult to explain unless one has been through the death of a spouse) , had children around the same age, and we were both Christians.

So……

We became long distance friends. We emailed every day. Hundreds of miles apart, but close in heart. After several weeks of daily email and phone calls,he asked if he could travel to Tennessee for us to meet? Kids included. He drove hundreds of miles with a son, a daughter and a dog. They arrived at my house on a Friday afternoon in late September. This sounds hokey, but we felt as if we’d known each other for years.

After a whirlwind weekend of visiting at my home, attending my son’s soccer game, going out to eat, meeting the family, and even some nervous reservations about how, or if, this would work, we decided that this relationship was worth pursuing.

So we did.

Five months later we were married. It was a life changing decision, but one that we are both glad we made. We will be celebrating our sixth anniversary this year. We tease that it feels like we’ve been married for fifty! We have no doubts that God led us to each other…even if our meeting and short engagement was a bit unconventional. We were both in our 30’s when we were widowed, living hundreds of miles apart, didn’t even know the other existed…until that fateful day in August. We both knew what we wanted in life, who we were interested in sharing that life with, and that God was and is the One in control.

I love my husband and he loves me. Life has its ups and downs. We are parenting in a blended family. We’ve sold his house in Texas, and my house in Tennessee. We’ve built a house in rural Ohio. We’ve moved from Texas to Tennessee, and Tennessee to Ohio. My husband lost his job of twenty-two years right in the middle of building the house in Ohio. I resigned from my teaching job. We home school our three teens. My husband has a new job, working from home. We have three dogs, four cats, and a horse. Life is crazy and unpredictable.

But, I can’t think of a better place to be than with Scott……after all God brought us together, and HE is the ultimate match maker.

6 thoughts on “You’ve Got Mail”

WOW! What a story. This is probably my most favorite of your blogs. Having a blended family ourselves it is always interesting to read about others and their blended families. I liked this so much I posted a link to it on my Facebook page. Hope that’s okay. I want my friends to enjoy this blog as much as I did.

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Author…

Dawn has taught children with special needs for 25 years, and continues to have a heart for those kiddos. Currently, she is co-CEO of the Gibson household. That gig keeps her fairly busy. The pay isn't much, but the benefits are good. She also has a love of books, flea markets, social media, and talk radio. Oh, and an addiction to sweet tea. She considers herself a work in progress, as she learns to enjoy each of life's moments, and thanks the Lord for them all.